Born of Fire

“Ha, ha.”


As nonchalant as any average passerby, he stopped at the corner and hailed a transport. The electronic car pulled up to the curb and opened its door with a pop and hiss. He took one last look at the enforcers before he entered, pulling her in behind him.

She couldn’t believe they hadn’t seen them.

Obviously he’d done this enough to know they would escape.

Shahara took a seat on the soft, purple cushion and breathed a sigh of relief once the door closed behind them and she was certain the enforcers could no longer see them.

He looked at her. “You got any money?”

“A couple of credits . . .” She cringed as she realized that in their hurry, she’d left her wallet. “In my house.”

His impatience was almost tangible. With a glare that welded her to the seat, he used his fingernails to pry out the payment panel, exposing the circuitry. He began twisting wires together.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m a thief. Remember?” he said with enough venom to bring down a thirty-ton vorna. “I’m rewiring the data receiver to make it think we’ve paid.”

“Can you do that?”

In answer to her question, the shuttle took off with a jerk. The speed with which he’d done it was faster than if they’d used an actual card. “I guess you can.”

He punched in an address, then retreated to the far corner of the car.

As she watched him, she realized how much toll their little trip was taking on his already weakened condition. “Maybe we should get you to a doctor?”

His answer was a derisive snort.

“You need someone to look at your injuries.”

“I need someone to look at my head,” he said sarcastically. “I should have tied you up and left you there for the Rits to torture. Lucky for you, I’m more humane than that.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Well, sorry don’t cut it, baby. Not in my neighborhood.”

Anger scorched her. “Don’t call me baby,” she snarled. It made her skin crawl. “Now why don’t you stop this thing and let me out. I’m sure I can take care of myself.”

His mocking laugh echoed in her ears. “You wouldn’t last ten minutes against a Ritadarion tracker or even one of your run-of-the-mill tracer friends.”

Her mouth dropped open with indignation. “Excuse me, but I’ve been to some of the toughest zones in the galaxy to claim my targets. And I have never once gone after a target and failed. Ever.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never been chased before. It’s a lot harder to be the prey than it is to be the predator. Hiding from the authorities takes an entire set of skills you lack. One mistake and you’re dead or captured.”

He nodded toward the street. “Any idea how many monitors just tracked us from your condo to this transport? You think they’re not going to check them in a few minutes and figure out where we went? The only thing that saves us is the address I entered just now won’t show up on their end if they check—a fake one will. Because, yeah, I am that good. And we’re lucky they don’t have sats trained on this area or we would be seriously screwed right now. But you don’t know about tracking satellites or deja vu loops and ghost codes because you don’t ever have to use them. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to sit over here with my throbbing feet and bleed in silence until we get to our destination.”

Damn him, he was right. She’d always acted in the open—like using her real name on his transfer orders. She’d never been one for subterfuge. Sneaking maybe, but never any long-term incognito operations. She didn’t know the first thing about hiding, or places to go for shelter.

What was she going to do?

How was she ever going to get through this mission intact? If the imbecile enforcers didn’t kill her by mistake, Syn more than likely would. Especially if he ever found out the truth and whose side she was really on.

Oh God, I’m a wanted criminal . . .

She wouldn’t be able to go home until after all this was over and she had that chip in the right hands. She couldn’t even be around her family without endangering them.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t known it going in, but the reality of it was a whole other matter.

If she was caught, she would go to jail.

With the criminals I put there.

For a full minute, she couldn’t breathe as that sank in. Damn her stupid sense of justice. She should never have allowed Traysen to talk her into doing this. There was no amount of money worth her freedom or her life.

What would happen to her family without her?

How was she going to survive?

She looked over at her churlish companion. Syn knew. He’d been running since he was a kid.

But would he continue to help her?

Not if he suspects you in any way . . .